I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn!
Some Happy Friday's I share stories of my family, some I try to give you different tools to empower you to become all that you were created to become and sometimes I just come alongside you and encourage you on your life journey...that is the focus of this Happy Friday, encouragement. Please, grab a cup of coffee and lets sit & visit for a minute.
How are things going? Are your hopes, goals & dreams coming true? Are you pursuing the greatness that IS within you? Every day? Are you tired? Physically? Of banging your head against the wall trying to solve a problem/launch a company/striving to save your marriage? Whoever you are Friend and wherever you are on this life journey, please, don't quit.
A quick note of clarity before we continue on; I am not talking about remaining in unhealthy or unsafe situations. If a situation is unhealthy or unsafe for you mentally, physically or spiritually please consider doing whatever you must do to create a healthy & safe situation. Don't quit on you if you are in an unhealthy or unsafe situation. At the same time, please don't try to justify quitting by painting your situation as unhealthy or unsafe if in fact, the road is simply bumpier than you want it to be.
Did you know Friend that you are not alone in having struggles, challenges, obstacles, etc.? I think one of the things that happens to us when we face an adversity is we start the self-talk of "I'm a failure", "I will never get out of this situation", etc. The fact is Friend, you are 100% normal. An article from the Huffpost titled "16 Wildly Successful People Who Overcame Huge Obstacles To Get There" printed on November 8, 2016 offers these examples:
- Bill Gates' first business failed.
- Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four years old.
- Jim Carrey used to be homeless.
- Benjamin Franklin dropped out of school at age ten.
- Stephen King's first novel was rejected 30 times.
- Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times before creating the lightbulb.
- Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime.
And I have seen many other lists, with other famous people, who have overcome failures. Heck, I twice was told my contract would not be renewed as a Head Football Coach because my teams were not winning games fast enough...so I found other ways to love & serve people, to encourage, empower & equip them to become the best they are capable of becoming. A couple of summers ago my Tender Warriors & I were going through a box at my Mom's house and we found one of my report cards from when I was in elementary school. My teacher had written on it, "Kevin will never be able to read well"...today I am a passionate reader and, as I type this Happy Friday, I am sitting in my home office surrounded by no less than 200 leadership books that I have read from cover to cover, some multiple times. No Friend, you are not alone. In fact, you are just like the rest of us...sorry! :)
One of the very first quotes I ever remember reading was in the weight room at my high school. It was, and is, profound to me. I don't really know why it hit me however I have been drawn back to it time and time again throughout my life. Here it is:
Don't Quit
"When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit." ~ Edgar A. Guest
And the Bible has plenty to say as well about not giving up...
"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded."
- 2 Chronicles 15: 7
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41: 10
"'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29: 11
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6: 9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1: 9
"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.'" - Mark 10: 27
Two things seem really clear to me; if the Bible talks so much about not giving up and not getting discouraged then 1) challenges, struggles, setbacks, etc. are sure to come and 2) God will be with us and the key is to trust in Him and to never quit. Please catch the chief strategy of Satan in these scriptures as well - fear & discouragement. When we face challenges & setbacks we become fearful & discouraged. The negative self-talk comes. These things Sweet Friends are not from God. Let us recognize them for what they are, dismiss them and then valiantly run the race that God has marked out for us.
All week long I have been sharing quotes & thoughts on Twitter & Facebook about not giving up. I want to end this message with a quote I shared earlier this week:
"Don't quit. When your latest efforts fail, don't quit. When your performance is scoffed and ridiculed, don't quit. When you're told you have no talent, don't quit. When you come in dead last, don't quit. When it seems an uphill fight to keep going, don't quit. When you can't see any possible way to achieve your goals, don't quit. When your last supporter is you alone, don't quit. When discouragement and depression seem your constant companion, don't quit. When you feel like quitting, don't quit. Time and time again you will crave relief from the harsh fight of trying to succeed. You will falsely think that quitting will bring peace and reprieve, but alas, only regret and disappointment await the quitter. Victory means never ever quitting. So don't quit. Do not quit." - Richelle E. Goodrich
You, your life & your purpose are far to valuable to quit Friend. Please, fight for you, fight for your purpose and please, rest for a moment if you must but please don't every quit.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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